Rights Committee Approves Four Resolutions on Question of Palestine, Amid Warnings Violent Outbreak in Jerusalem Could Turn Conflict into ‘Outright Religious War’
The Palestinian Rights Committee today approved four draft resolutions relating to the question of Palestine, as it considered the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, as well as all violence against civilians, be they Palestinian or Israeli.
Approved by consensus for submission to the General Assembly were texts titled “Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People”, “Division for Palestinian Rights of the Secretariat”, “Special information programme on the question of Palestine of the Department of Public Information of the Secretariat”, and “Peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine”.
By the terms of the first, the Assembly would request the Committee to continue to exert all efforts to promote the realization of the Palestinian people’s inalienable rights, including to self-determination, and to support both an end to the Israeli occupation and the two-State solution on the basis of the pre-1967 borders.
By the second draft, the Assembly would request the Palestinian Rights Division to monitor developments relevant to the question of Palestine; organize international meetings and conferences in various regions with the participation of all sectors of the international community, eminent persons and internationally renowned experts; to develop and expand the “Question of Palestine” website and the documents collection of the United Nations Information System on the issue; to prepare and widely disseminate information materials on various aspects of the question of Palestine; and to develop and enhance the annual training programme for Palestinian Government staff as a contribution to capacity-building efforts.
By the third draft, on the special information programme, the Assembly would have the Department of Public Information disseminate information on all United Nations activities relating to the question of Palestine and the peace process, through various media, and continue to assist the Palestinian people with media development, particularly by strengthening the annual training programme for Palestinian journalists.
By the terms of the fourth text, “Peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine”, the Assembly would stress the need for an immediate and complete cessation of all acts of violence, including military attacks, destruction and acts of terror. It would express grave concern over the negative developments persisting in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, such as the escalation of violence and excessive use of force; construction and expansion of settlements and the wall; arbitrary arrests and detentions; vandalism and brutality; destruction of Palestinian property and infrastructure; the internal forced displacement of civilians, especially among the Bedouin community; and the consequent deterioration of socioeconomic and humanitarian conditions.
Riyad Mansour, Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine, reiterated President Mahmoud Abbas’ condemnation of the killing of civilians from any party, especially in houses of worship, be they mosques, churches or synagogues. There was no justification, he stressed, for harming anyone practicing their religion. He said the situation in Jerusalem was very explosive, and warned of trying to push the conflict into a religious dimension. Also with regard to Jerusalem, he said that extremists in the Israeli Government had been using incitement to create a permanent presence for Jewish worshippers inside mosques, which was invoking passion among Muslim worshippers. Extremists — be they settlers or members of the Israeli Government — were torching churches and mosques, in an effort to foment a religious confrontation, which had resulted in the tragedy in the synagogue.
Palestine, he went on, was committed to defusing the situation and preventing it from deteriorating into a religious conflict. Palestine accepted the call for restraint, however all parties should heed that call. Israelis must be brought into compliance to stop the illegal settlement activities and crimes, such as the bombardment of children seeking shelter in United Nations schools, should be investigated and the perpetrators brought to justice. The Security Council should use the tools available to it to bring Israel into compliance, and conclude a two-State solution by ending the occupation as soon as possible. Israel must lift immediately the illegal, immoral blockade against civilians in Gaza.
Committee Chair Fode Seck (Senegal) said that the uptick of violence in Jerusalem was particularly worrisome, as it threatened to turn the conflict into an outright religious war, and linked it to ethno-religious violence in the wider Middle East. He joined the Secretary-General in condemning all violence against civilians, and against religious sites in Jerusalem and the West Bank.